Shock closure of Staffordshire private school devastates families and teachers

Liquidators moved into Vernon Lodge Preparatory School and told pupils and staff to leave by the end of the day.

The £2,400-a-year school in Stretton, Staffordshire, is no longer sustainable due to dwindling pupil numbers, bosses at the school have claimed.

Parents were called last Thursday by representatives from insolvency company Haslers saying the school would be shut after the end of the day.

One mother, who had two children at the school but did not want to be named, said: "When I got there children were rolling around on the floor crying and emptying their desks. The children were really traumatised.

"The way it was dealt with was so awful. It has caused devastation.

"We had no prior warning. Some children are still off school because they have nowhere to go."

Directors Glen Barker and David Whipps were on site at the time, but did not directly address parents coming to collect their children.

Instead, headteacher Pat Sills held a final assembly for the pupils. She has served at since 1989. She said: "It is very, very sad. It all happened very quickly on the day.

"The children were crying because they were not able to go into their school the next day.

"They were very upset and emotional as were many of the staff and parents as well as myself. I was set to retire from Vernon Lodge so I am devastated this is how I will be ending my career."

The closure left 13 staff without jobs and 30 children with no school, although St Dominic's School in nearby Brewood has taken 20 of the pupils until the end of the term while parents find a long-term solution.

A joint statement issued by Mr Barker and Mr Whipps said since they took over in 2011 pupil numbers had dwindled from around 70 to 30 students in September and seven of those had upcoming trial days at other schools.

The directors said despite an open day in February they could not attract any more students and action needed to be taken quickly.

Stratford Hamilton from Haslers said the directors faced a difficult decision not to tell people sooner out of fears more pupils would have been pulled out of Vernon Lodge.

Mr Hamilton confirmed teachers would be paid their arrears as well as redundancy settlements and the company would be writing to parents next week to give them full details on the situation.